1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to computer systems, and browser-based interfaces used to display online-content to a user. More specifically, the invention relates to methods and devices for reconstructing the visual stimuli originally displayed to a user through browser-based interfaces.
2. Problem Statement
The utilization of an information-browser paradigm, meaning information stored at a location remote from a user is delivered to the user via a browser connected to a network, has grown exponentially with the global adoption of the Internet, hypertext mark-up language (HTML), and extensible mark-up language (XML). The concept of an information-browser model extends beyond traditional HTML/XML data accessible via the Internet, encompassing a variety of data formats accessible via private networks such as Intranets and Extranets, as well as information retrieval interfaces, such as those used in Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), and single-purpose devices (commonly referred to as “Internet appliances”). For the purposes of explanation, these applications and devices, and their substitutes and successors, will be collectively referred to as “browsers,” with the information they present to the user referred to as “online-content.” Online content is viewed and manipulated at a browser through a browser interface.
As near instant access to information through the information-browser model becomes a mainstay of global commerce, increased attention is being focused on the usability and clarity of purpose of online-content as it is displayed to a user. Being able to record the visual stimuli that is being presented to the user at any given time enables the study of how users react to that stimuli. Accordingly, the ability to accurately and efficiently record online-content is becoming a critical goal of the content design process.
One barrier to studying the visual stimuli people observe while interacting with on-line content though a browser is the inflexibility of the browser interface itself. It is known that online-content contains a variety of textual and binary (typically encompassing graphics) data that is interpreted by a browser and displayed to a user. The manner in which this content is displayed is not only dependent on the type of browser being used, but also the environmental context in which the browser is being used. For example, a web page that appears one way when displayed in a Microsoft based browser will appear entirely different when displayed in a Netscape based browser.
This environmental context problem exist on the operating system level of a computer or device, and extends to specific properties of the computer's configuration. The environmental context problem is both hardware and software related, and encompasses items such as color depth (aggregate number of simultaneous colors the device is capable of displaying), and screen real estate (physical screen size and aspect ratio). In addition, many browser interfaces enable content designers to nest multiple instances of a browser (commonly referred to as windows or frames), thereby creating multiple instances of content that together comprise the entire visual stimuli. In such cases, the location, size, and aspect ratio of each instance of the browser and the juxtaposition of one window to another contribute to the complexity that must be untangled to understanding how the content is being displayed to the user. Furthermore, many browser interfaces include the capability to manipulate the content being displayed either through data entry, navigation, or horizontal and/or vertical scrolling. In such cases, determining exactly what visual stimuli is being displayed to the user is also dependent on the size and aspect ratio of the original content, and its horizontal and/or vertical positioning within the browser interface.
The most common approaches to these problems involve attempting to recreate the original usage parameters through standards such as browser version and manufacturer, operating system version and manufacturer, and display size and aspect ratio. Then, using these general parameters, an operator revisits the pages of online-content originally viewed by the user based on a pre-recorded transactional log of network addresses (such as an Internet Uniform Resource Locator or URL). One deficiency in this approach is that it does not take into consideration many of the technical parameters that significantly impact the exact visual stimuli being displayed such as browser window size and the vertical and/or horizontal offset of online-content within the browser window. Another deficiency in this approach is that it does not rely on recorded information detailing exactly what parameters existed for a specific instance in time, and how these parameters may change over time. Another deficiency in this approach is that the original online-content as visited by the user may have changed over time, thus changing the very nature of the visual stimuli being displayed to the user. Yet another deficiency in this approach is that it does not provide a method of distinguishing between those areas of the online-content which were visible (because of scrolling) during a specific period from those that were not. Accordingly, there is a need for methods and devices for identifying and recreating the visual stimuli presented to a user of browser-based interfaces while interacting with online-content.